Gaerwen railway station

Gaerwen railway station stands on the North Wales Coast Line in the village of Gaerwen on Anglesey. Built by the Chester and Holyhead Railway, it opened in January 1849 as part of the early rail network linking London to Ireland. The station once served as a junction for two branch lines: the Anglesey Central Railway and the Red Wharf Bay Branch. The main building stood on the north side of the line, while a small shelter served Holyhead-bound trains. Two signal boxes once operated near the station, one of which remains in use today. The station closed to passengers in 1966 under British Railways, though the freight yard stayed open until 1984. The junction to the Anglesey Central Railway was later disconnected after services ended. A level crossing with lifting barriers now marks the east end of the old site, where the remaining signal box still stands. In 2020, a bid to restore the line between Amlwch and Gaerwen succeeded, securing £100,000 for a feasibility study. The Welsh government matched the funding, doubling the total award. Visitors today find a quiet railway site with one signal box still in operation. The old platforms are gone, but the level crossing and adjacent tracks remain. The disused junction points can still be seen where the Anglesey Central Railway once branched off. The station’s history is visible in the surviving structures and the preserved railway landscape. Plans for reopening the line have revived interest in the site’s future.